During my nine years in the Florida House of Representatives, I sponsored and cosponsored many pieces of critical legislation for my constituency.

Browards biggest issue during my term as Chair of the Broward Delegation of state legislators was annexation. Annexation had a major impact on how much property taxes people would pay and their quality of life. Under my leadership, we resolved this issue.

LOCAL BILLS AND ANNEXATION

This bill delineates the corporate limits of the Cities of Coral Springs and Margate.
(HB 1543, 2003) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill extends and enlarges the corporate limits of the City of Coral Springs to include specified unincorporated lands within said corporate limits.
(HB 1545, 2003) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill delineates the common boundaries between Coconut Creek and the City of Parkland.
(HB 1549, 2003) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill created the charter for the City of West Park and established its boundaries, form of government, and provided for an election in order to preserve, protect, and enhance the quality of life and residential character of West Park.
(HB 1491, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill extends the corporate limits of the City of Coral Springs through the annexation of the unincorporated area known as Ramblewood East Condominium.
(HB 1389, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for an election to extend the corporate limits of the Town of Davie, the City of Ft. Lauderdale, or the City of Plantation through the annexation of the unincorporated area known as Broadview Park.
(HB 1393, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for an election to extend the corporatel limits of the City of Ft. Lauderdale or the City of Oakland Park through the annexation of the unincorported area knows as Twin Lakes North.
(HB 1399, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for the extension of the corporate limits of the City of Deerfield Beach through the annexation of specified unincorporated areas.
(HB 1407, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for an election to extend the corporate limits of the City of Pompano Beach or the City of Deerfield Beach through the annexation of the unincorporated area known as the Pompano Highlands.
(HB 1409, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill delineates the corporate limits of the Town of Lauderdale-By-The-Sea and the Village of Sea Ranch Lakes to include specified lands within those limits.
(HB 1411, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill enlarges the corporate limits of the City of Weston to include specified unincorporated lands.
(HB 1413, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for the deannexation of certain lands from the City of Cooper City and the annexation of certain lands into the Town of Southwest Ranches.
(HB 1415, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for extending the corporate limits of the City of Pompano Beach and through the annexation of specified unincorporated areas.
(HB 1417, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for the extension of the corporate limits of the City of Ft. Lauderdale or the City of Oakland Park through the annexation of the unincorporated area known as North Andrews Gardens.
(HB 1485, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill provides for an election to extend the corporate limits of the City of Ft. Lauderdale through the annexation of the unincorporated area known as Rock Island.
(HB 1487, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW
 

CHAMPIONING PUBLIC EDUCATION

Technology is a very useful tool for children in the building of a strong educational foundation. This bill created a task force to study the feasibility of providing a laptop computer for every public school student in Kindergarten through Grade 12 and required the Task Force to present a report on their findings to the Legislature, the Governor, and the Commissioner of Education. (HB 873, 2000)

Educating Florida's teachers and paraprofessionals is critical to their success in the classroom. This legislation requires the Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program to provide scholarship assistance to education paraprofessionals and substitute teachers seeking certification to teach in areas with a critical teacher shortage. (HB1213, 2003)

In Florida, many parents depend heavily on the Florida Prepaid College Program. This bill guarantees the prepaid program by revising provisions of the Florida Prepaid College Program to provide that a qualified beneficiary within 18 years of enrollment in an eligible college or university shall be eligible for benefits for which he or she has contracted if the program is suddenly terminated.
(HB 237, 2005)

This bill revises the formula for determining the allocation of funds for the Classrooms for Kids program to help the school districts that are in greatest need reduce class size.
(HB 1015, 2005)

"The Bullying Bill" - In order for our children to have the best opportunity to learn, it is important that they are safe whey they are at school. This bill creates the "Student Safety and Campus Violence Prevention Act" which requires school districts to adopt policies prohibiting harassment, discrimination, and violence in educational institutions.
(HB 1303, 2005)

This bill requires school principles to notify the parents of children in schools that provide abstinence-only instruction and allows those parents to review the curriculum and suggest changes to the program.
(HB 625, 2006) Through revsion passed into law in 2008

This bill provides for a dealer collection allowance which raises money for public schools for technology. It authorizes a dealer to elect to forgo the collection allowance and direct the collection allowance revenues to be transferred to the Department of Education for distribution to school districts for classroom technology. This law raised approximately $250,000 for technology in public schools last year.
(HB 987, 2006) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill created a grant program to enable school districts to expand a magnet program to other schools in areas where there is currently a large waiting list.
(HB 781, 2006)
 

PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN

This bill required the Department of education to develop a better method for identifying children who are habitually truant.
(HB 683, 1999) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill established a "Bill of Rights" specifying the rights of children in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services who have been placed in shelter or foster care.
(HB 655, 2000) PASSED INTO LAW

This legislation creates the "Children's Firearm Responsibility Act of 2001."
(HB 419, 2001)

This bill defines "unsafe handgun" and "assault weapon" and prohibits the furnishing of such guns to minors less than 18 years of age. It also establishes the juvenile gun violence prevention grant program to be administered by the Department of Juvenile Justice.
(HB 363, 2000)

This legislation requires circuit courts in Florida to establish a system for providing children in state custody with a lawyer trained to represent dependent children.
(HB 569, 2003) PASSED INTO LAW specifically for Orange County, Florida
 

ASSISTING THOSE MOST IN NEED

This bill serves to create guidelines for the giving persons with developmental disabilities the most dignified and least restrictive living situation including allowing for unannounced inspections of residential facilities and provides for recovery of actual and punitive damages and costs of attorney's fees.
(HB 637, 1999) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill authorizes certain counties to use one cent of the proceeds from the local fuel tax option for homeless assistance programs. (HB 689, 1999)
Failed in the Florida Legislature but ensured a state grant for homelessness and pushed Congress to give money to build a homeless facility in Broward County.

This bill provides a tax exemption to nonprofit organizations that provide crime-prevention services, drunk-driving-prevention services, or juvenile-delinquency-prevention services.
(HB 1961, 2000) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill created nonprofit direct-support organizations to benefit the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Elderly Affairs.
(HB 41, 2003) Passed Florida Legislature, but Governor vetoed it.

This memorial urged the United States Congress to authorize the payment of past-due child support payments and reimbursement of attorney fees for the collection of past-due child support to be to come from funds payable under the Social Security Act prior to the recipient of such funds receiving them.
(HB149 CS, 2003)

This bill, through the internet, requires the Department of Revenue to make reasonable efforts to locate persons to whom child support refunds are owed prior to determining that refund to be undistributable.
(HB 87, 2005) PASSED INTO LAW
 

FIGHTING FOR TAX AND INSURANCE REFORM

Holocaust Victim Insurance Act of 1998 provides for idenifying and paying insurance claims of Holocaust victims and their beneficiaries
(HB4489, 1998) PASSED INTO LAW

It is important in legal matters that Floridians are given a fair chance to be heard. This bill deletes the provisions that allow insurance companies, the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association, and the Residential Property and Casualty Joint Underwriting Association to require rate arbitration of rate filings rather than a rate hearing.
(HB 609, 1999)

This bill allowed for the electronic filing of property tax and corporate income tax returns.
(HB 2089, 1999) PASSED INTO LAW
 

CRIME PREVENTION AND SUPPRESSION

This bill requires the Department of Transportation to develop standards for the installation and operation of a system to warn drawbridge operators of the presence of pedestrians or vehicles on the bridge.
(HB 1285, 2005)

This legislation authorizes municipalities to impose a surcharge on civil penalties for traffic infractions in order to fund residential traffic calming programs and school crossing guards.
(HB 471, 2000)

This bill imposed an annual fee on slot machines to be used in a neighboring municipality, without slot machines, to fund the adverse health, safety, and welfare and public works impacts that will result occur as a direct result of slot machine gaming.
(HB 867, 2006)

OTHER

This bill requires for speedy foreclosures that uncontested foreclosure proceedings enter final judgment within 90 days of the date of the final pleading.
(HB 959, 2001) PASSED INTO LAW

This bill revises provisions of the governing of municipal elections in Broward County including specifying the dates on which municipal candidates shall file qualification papers, specifying dates on which municipal primary and general elections shall be held, and authorizing municipalities to extend or reduce terms in office for certain reasons.
(HB 1401, 2004) PASSED INTO LAW